My Garden Invader

I have loved designing this little garden pond and stocking it with Koi and Goldfish.  The daily enjoyment begins each morning watching the birds shower in the waterfall as I have my coffee. 

 

 

Some time ago, looking out my back door, I saw an intruder.

 

I started to say, “an unwanted guest for dinner”, but with my pond stocked with two 5  year old Koi and huge 7 year old fancy Goldfish,

I guess it was an unintentional invitation… Ugh! Grrrr!

So, I watched for a bit…

he stands SO still, waiting…

Now that would be a nice picture if it were in the Everglades, WHERE HE BELONGS…

      …   blankety blankety blank – — NOT IN MY GARDEN, eating MY fish!!!

Expecting he would leave the moment I opened the door – well you’ve heard about “unrealistic expectations”… He won’t even leave in hurry. Just watches to see if I really MEAN it!

Then he has the audacity to just saunter over to another part of the yard…

still, just nonchalantly avoiding me – NO FEAR!!! I guess the good eatin’ while I wasn’t looking was reason enough to continue coming back.

After I lunged at him, trying to actually scare the bejeebers out of him, he flies away. I’m thinking, “That takes care of that for now.”

NOPE. There he is on the neighbor’s roof waiting for me to go back inside.

   Day after day… same ole, same ole…

What should I expect? He’s doing what God designed him to do… he’s just doing it in the wrong place !!!            Day after day… me rushing out, trying to scare the un-scareable…

…and him staying just out of reach, waiting, patiently…

He’s even standing on one leg – RESTING !! while I come closer and closer – I think he snickered...

Trying all the suggestions I could find on the internet, I tied an elaborate web of monofilament fishing line all over the pond… he just stepped carefully thru the web, ate more fish, and flew out when I went screaming out the door, yet again.  Oh, I wish I had a video of that !!!!

I finally purchased a rain bird sprinkler “Scarecrow” that has motion and heat sensor which activates with loud rain bird whacking sound and tons of water… Yea!!! Finally scared him away. \0/

Some of our friends have been a bit surprised too, most of whom I’ve remembered to warn, but you should’ve seen the poor lawn man – forgot to tell him…. my bad.  (Wish I had a video of that, too !!!)